VZCZCXRO4633
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHHI #2512/01 2721100
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291100Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3570
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 1903
RUEHZS/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2998
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 5582
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG 0996
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU 0723
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 0262
RUEHSUN/USUN ROME IT
RUEHIN/AIT TAIPEI 1406
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC//USDP/ISA/AP//
RHMFISS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC//J2/J3/J5//
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC//DHO-3//
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J00/J2/J3/J5//
RHEFAFM/DIRAFMIC FT DETRICK MD//MA-1A//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 002512 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, INR, OES/STC, OES/IHA, MED 
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR ANE AND GH 
STATE PASS TO HHS/OGHA (WSTIEGER, EELVANDER AND ABHAT) 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISA/AP (LSTERN) 
BANGKOK FOR RMO, CDC, USAID (JMACARTHUR AND MBRADY) 
ROME FOR FAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU AMED AMGT CASC EAGR PINR SOCI VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM - SEPTEMBER 29 AVIAN INFLUENZA REPORT 
 
REF: HANOI 2361 AND PREVIOUS 
 
HANOI 00002512  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) There have been no reported human AI cases and no confirmed 
AI outbreaks in poultry to date this year in Vietnam. 
 
¶2.  (U) On September 29, state-owned media reported that the 
Government of Vietnam (GVN) has vaccinated 28.6 million poultry in 
27 provinces and cities since the national vaccination campaign 
began in February 2006. 
 
¶3.  (U) Several national newspapers reported on September 27 that a 
male Vietnamese traveler was being tested for AI after exhibiting 
flu-like symptoms upon disembarking a Vietnam Airlines flight from 
Hanoi via Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney, Australia.  An Australian 
health official was quoted saying that it is unlikely the patient is 
infected with avian influenza. 
 
¶4.  (U) On September 19, Vietnam News Agency reported that the U.S. 
Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing USD 1.55 
million for a new project to fight avian influenza in Vietnam and 
Laos.  Through USAID's Regional Development Mission and Abt 
Associates Inc., a new partner in the regional effort, 
community-level projects will carry out surveillance and control 
activities against avian influenza in both countries.  Working in 
close collaboration with current USAID partners, including the U.N. 
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the U.N. World Health 
Organization (WHO), and the Academy for Educational Development 
(AED), Abt will conduct activities with international 
non-governmental organizations such as CARE International and 
Population Services International (PSI) in targeted geographic 
regions with a high risk of avian influenza outbreaks.  These 
activities include delivering key prevention messages, implementing 
strategies to minimize high-risk behaviors, working with human and 
animal-health workers to enhance their ability to recognize and 
report suspected cases and developing new approaches for enhancing 
biosecurity on poultry farms.  Including this project, USAID has 
provided over USD 41 million to date for avian influenza activities 
in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. 
 
AI in Review: Vietnam-Australia Workshop on SARS and AI 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶5.  (U) On September 14-15, Vietnam and Australia co-hosted a 
workshop on "the role of military and civil cooperation in the 
prevention and control of communicable diseases such as SARS and 
Avian Influenza."  The focus of the workshop was to develop a 
cooperative regional approach to disease surveillance and early 
response systems, with civil/military cooperation.  The workshop 
began with a presentation by a World Health Organization (WHO) 
representative from the Philippines.  WHO reported that as of 
September 7, 2006 there are 241 confirmed human cases of Avian 
Influenza (AI), with 141 resulting in death, representing a 55 
percent death rate.  The majority of publicly reported new cases of 
AI in humans have occurred in Indonesia. 
 
¶6.  (U) The WHO thinks the risk of a pandemic is still great.  WHO 
is planning for three possible scenarios:  1) outbreaks continue in 
humans and poultry, but there is no evolution of H5N1; 2) 
human-to-human transmission occurs, causing a surge of AI cases and 
a subsequent pandemic; 3) a pandemic in humans occurs, but the 
transmission of H5N1 is not efficient resulting in cluster cases 
only.  WHO noted that historically, pandemics occur every 30-40 
years and the last human pandemic was in 1968. 
 
¶7.  (U) The WHO continued with a list of key strategic actions in 
 
HANOI 00002512  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
response to a human pandemic.  WHO first noted that Asian countries, 
including Vietnam, continue to have weak early-warning systems and 
high-risk behavior.  Among the key actions to be taken is the 
strengthening of early-warning systems by improving detection of 
animal cases first and sharing information throughout the region 
about existing animal cases.  Additionally, high-risk countries 
should aim to reduce exposure to H5N1 through education, 
compensation, and communication.  Every nation should build and 
increase its capacity to cope with a pandemic.  This should be done 
by completing an overall economic assessment in addition to 
increasing vaccination supplies.  Finally, WHO emphasized that 
non-medical interventions will be essential if/when a pandemic 
occurs.  Medical supplies and assistance may not be immediately 
available; therefore officials should be prepared to implement 
non-medical strategies such as quarantines and travel restrictions. 
 
ALOISI